Manufacturing is a major industry that impacts most other industries. Think about it—where do all of your things come from? Whether it’s a bottle of ibuprofen or a broom that you use to sweep your floor, everything has to be manufactured somewhere. When you imaging a manufacturing plant for brooms, it’s pretty easy to imagine what you might find there. Maybe plastic molds, or a conveyer belt carrying parts from one end of the factory floor to the other. So, what do you imagine when you think about where your medications come from?
Medical manufacturing is more involved than many other manufacturing areas, and this is because medications and other medical instruments needed to be crafted with the utmost care. If you’re taking a stimulant to treat your ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), you want to know that those stimulants in your pill bottle are made with exacting attention to dosage and ingredients. If you’re interested in a few fun facts about medical manufacturing, read on.
- There are tools for ensuring utmost precision.
As mentioned above, whether you’re at the pharmacy picking up ADHD treatment medications or buying a tube of antibacterial cream and gauze for a first-aid kit, you want to know that the medicine and bandages have been crafted with care. The good news is that there are tools, like an indexing conveyor, that are built with precisely this in mind.
An indexing conveyor isn’t the conveyor you’re imagining in that classic scene from “I Love Lucy.” This conveyor is a precision tool that can both move things from one area to another and catalog products at the same time. With this level of automation, conveyors can make sure that any medications are manufactured without error.
- A lot of the manufacturing has to do with medications.
Sure, a lot of medical manufacturing is what you may be thinking of—pills, capsules, bottles of cough syrup, and other medications. For example, if your child’s pediatrician has diagnosed your kid with ADHD, or your child’s teacher has made you aware that your child’s behavior is suggesting that they may have ADHD, they may be prescribed Adderall, Ritalin, or many other ADHD medications.
These are all stimulants and can be very effective at treating ADHD symptoms like hyperactivity and inattention. It’s important to note that any medications, even stimulants for ADHD, must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before making it into the system of any other family members. That being said, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be very helpful as one of the ADHD treatment options for children, so that’s also worth looking into if you’re nervous about the side effects of stimulant medication.
- That being said, a lot has to do with medical devices, too.
Medical manufacturing plants don’t just make medicines. They also make plenty of medical devices, diagnostic tools, and other equipment. For example, a pediatrician needs a special scale to weigh your baby when you take them for a checkup before preschool—those scales get manufactured in a medical manufacturing factory. The same can be said for insulin pumps for diabetics, and even a cuff for measuring blood pressure.
- Your child’s doctor uses diagnostic devices, and they’re manufactured, too.
That wooden thing your child’s doctor sticks down their throat at a well-visit? That gets manufactured along with a plethora of other diagnostic tools in medical manufacturing facilities. Thermometers, needles for biopsies, even MRI machines all have to get manufactured somewhere. There’s a lot that happens at a medical manufacturing facility that has nothing to do with medicines.
- New technology is key.
Many manufacturing facilities lean on new technology for saving on manufacturing, while still ensuring the highest level of precision. One example, of course, is the indexing conveyor we discussed above, but 3D printing also takes on a big role when it comes to manufacturing things like PPE (personal protective equipment).
In fact, just recently, 3D printing tech has empowered regular folks to literally save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone with a 3D printer in their home was able to put together PPE and ventilators for hospitals across the country.
